Motorsport photograph
The perfect visualisation of simply how completely different Components 1 life has change into for was fashioned in 2025 Bahrain pre-season testing, when Motorsport.com discovered him, wheel gun in hand, within the pitbox.
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However the Finn wasn’t beginning a brand new position as a mechanic for the Silver Arrows squad; it’s simply that as Mercedes’ 2025 take a look at and reserve driver, filming social media skits is a part of the requirement. And that’s one thing that simply comes naturally to Bottas.
Assume how his laid-back model has gained him a legion of followers in his adopted second residence in Australia. Or how, as of late, he’s all the time importing movies of each his sun-soaked biking exploits or mouth-watering culinary delights to just about 5 million Instagram followers.
Nevertheless it’s not simply stockpiling ‘content material’ the place the quip-tastic 10-time grand prix race winner is of use for the group which he loved nearly all of his F1 successes with. And it’s in doing these jobs for Mercedes that Bottas good points a key edge within the race to return to F1 racing motion in 2026 – a narrative that solely hardly ever ends in success for drivers.
“It is completely different, in fact – my espresso consumption has gone up!” Bottas tells Motorsport.com of his return to order driver life for the primary time since he held that place at again in 2012.
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“There is a bit extra time to hold round and converse to folks. [It’s] much less tense, for certain. Much less media than as a race driver, however then extra occasions with sponsors and companions. Certainly one of my jobs is to do the occasions, particularly night occasions, that usually you do not wish to put the drivers into. So, they’ll put the third driver in there.
“However, yeah, nonetheless concerned in all of the [engineering] conferences. Nonetheless following each session on the intercom and TV. Simply to maintain updated in case I’ve acquired to leap in. And likewise generally, if I’ve any concepts or questions or perhaps a driver’s view on sure issues, then I converse up.”
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
Valtteri Bottas, MercedesSam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs
Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Photographs
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On the moist Australian season opener – when Bottas was “following my first grand prix within the storage within the final 12 years” – this included suggesting that would want to maneuver off-line extra recurrently to chill his intermediates and indicating the crossover level for transferring again off slicks when the rain returned late on in Melbourne.
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
Valtteri Bottas, MercedesGlenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photographs
Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Photographs
And that is Bottas’s key level in returning to Mercedes away from racing and showing as its social media presence. By remaining a continuing paddock presence, he enhances his probabilities of getting again on the grid in 2026.
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That’s unlikely to be with Mercedes, which has invested a lot in each and Antonelli (though each are formally uncontracted past 2026) as its present racing line-up. And if Wolff decides to return to making an attempt to woo out of Crimson Bull, that reduces Bottas’s already slim possibilities right here even additional.
However the 2026 grid is increasing with Cadillac’s coming entry, the place it could be logical to count on the newcomer to want to mix a rookie American or IndyCar driving expertise with an skilled F1 hand.
Bottas’s CV matches the mould completely, as does ex-Crimson Bull driver , who has been talked up by Cadillac director Mario Andretti in current days.
And there’s a lesson for every of them within the difficult job of incomes an F1 return – from the driving force who partially ousted Bottas from Sauber for 2025.
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Again in 2022, used his place as Aston Martin super-sub and occasional TV pundit to point out vital paddock figures that he was nonetheless suited to be again racing. Particularly, the German driver badged former Haas group boss Guenther Steiner into being thought of for a 2023 race seat on the American squad.
When issues grew to become even more durable for as 2022 unfurled, it was Hulkenberg’s large F1 expertise that Haas needed. He then leveraged that into changing into a future Audi works driver with a sequence of beautiful performances throughout 2023 and into final yr.
Nico Hulkenberg, Kick Sauber
Nico Hulkenberg, Kick SauberAndy Hone / Motorsport Photographs
Andy Hone / Motorsport Photographs
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We put this level to Bottas, who agrees that remaining lively within the F1 paddock “could make a distinction” within the quest to regain a race drive.
“If you happen to’re a driver who’s round versus in case you’re a driver who disappears utterly, I believe it has its positives to be right here and to talk to folks,” he provides.
“Nevertheless it’s extra I do it for myself. I wish to hold updated what’s taking place with the game. It is nice to be with an amazing group, to see how they function, what sort of good points they’re discovering and why. Which may additionally assist me, in all probability, sooner or later.
“Additionally, as a reserve, you have to be right here as a result of in case you get the decision, you wish to be prepared.”
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And does Bottas think about Cadillac his finest likelihood to earn that uncommon F1 return?
“This season will present,” he replies. “We have clearly acquired many rookie drivers and on this sport, you by no means know. One thing can set off once more some adjustments inside completely different groups and drivers.
“Nevertheless it’s, for certain, for me, a really fascinating choice. It would not be a straightforward route, but when there is a clear plan of how you can get there, then it could possibly be a extremely fascinating mission, which I believe expertise may also help. So, let’s wait and see.
“I do know [Cadillac team principal] Graeme Lowdon nicely. However I do not suppose he is making all the choices. Ultimately, they have an enormous firm backing the mission. Once more, they have a board and all this stuff, who make choices or no less than affect the choices as this sport continues to be a enterprise and there are politics concerned.
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“However, yeah, no less than he is seen me driving alongside Zhou [Guanyu, at Sauber with Bottas from 2022-24, with Lowdon the Chinese driver’s manager] and he is aware of what I can do. He is aware of my previous and my expertise.”
Sergio Perez, Crimson Bull Racing
Sergio Perez, Crimson Bull RacingRed Bull Content material Pool
Crimson Bull Content material Pool
After we level out to Bottas that Perez is taking the other strategy of staying away from the paddock, he’ll solely insist his approach “does not harm me – let’s put it that approach”.
Lastly, there’s how Wolff matches into the Bottas return story. He’s intrinsically linked with the 35-year-old profession story, in any case – managing him for a decade till he first signed to race for Mercedes in 2017 and overseeing all of his F1 wins.
“He has instructed me that he would like to see me racing nonetheless,” Bottas concludes. “And I believe he agreed with me after I instructed him that I nonetheless really feel like I am not achieved with the game but. It isn’t the time but. So, I believe he can be blissful to see me in a race seat. And naturally, if it isn’t right here, he would not stand in the best way.”
